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Canada got the last hurrah at the Celebration of Light Saturday evening, closing the three-night event with a winning display. Canada was declared the winner of the event, with Brazil and China finishing second and third, respectively.

Canada’s municipal leaders are calling for more federal government support to repair aging infrastructure. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson pointed to a number of local problems that were in need of additional funding. The Oak Street Bridge has been reinforced with steel jackets to help it better withstand earthquakes.

Photograph by: Handout
, Vancouver Sun

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson joined municipal leaders from across the country Tuesday in asking the federal government for an additional $2.5 billion a year for the next two decades to deal with crumbling infrastructure they say threatens the country’s competitive edge.

From an “urgent need” for transit improvements along the Broadway corridor to multi-million upgrades to aging regional waste water treatment plants, Robertson said Vancouver has some very specific infrastructure needs that require immediate attention.

“We can’t do it alone. We put billions of dollars on the table as cities and communities across Canada, and we need strong partnerships to actually get the work done, otherwise there are real risks to our communities,” he said at a news conference in Vancouver organized by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Canadian cities want a commitment from the federal government to boost infrastructure funding to $5.75 billion annually, an amount the federation said should be matched by the province and municipalities themselves to provide $13.25 billion a year for municipal infrastructure.

Of that, $1 billion from each level of government should be dedicated to fighting traffic gridlock that costs the Canadian economy $10 billion a year in lost productivity, the federation said.

“It’s time we started planning in decades, not just years,” Karen Leibovici, federation president, told reporters. “That is the surest way to end the short-term thinking that allowed our infrastructure deficit to grow in the first place.”

The current Building Canada fund ends in 2014, and Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel is wrapping up six months of consultations with stakeholders across the country as the Conservative government works on a new plan.

Leibovici lauded the Conservatives for changes they’ve made to municipal funding in the past six years, including making the federal Gas Tax Fund a permanent fixture in the municipal funding mix.

The federation called on the government to tie the Gas Tax Fund to a cost-of-living index, and create a new Core Economic Infrastructure Fund, in addition to continuing the Building Canada Fund.

A 20-year plan would give cities the stability to plan for repairs and replacement of crumbling infrastructure built half a century ago, officials said.

“We had decades of falling behind on this, where it was not a priority of successive governments and that’s why we’re behind the eight-ball now. Now we’ve got infrastructure that’s falling apart, now we’ve got congestion that’s totally unacceptable and undermining our economy,” Robertson said.

The federation pointed out that municipal governments collect eight cents out of every tax dollar but are responsible for 60 per cent of public infrastructure, which includes everything from public transit, to roads and sewage systems.

In addition to the aging state of infrastructure, there are more extreme weather events putting pressure on those systems. Robertson noted a series of large earthquakes that have rattled the West Coast over the past few weeks, the most recent striking Monday in the Gulf of Alaska.

“We need to be ready for earthquakes and natural disasters with seismic upgrades,” he said.

For 30 years, both the federal and provincial governments have been off-loading responsibility for infrastructure to cities without the necessary funds, said Adrien Byrne, of the Vancouver-based Urban Development Institute, which represents the development industry.

“The issue for municipalities is they can only raise property taxes so much to pay for new growth,” Byrne said.

“The federal and provincial governments need to take greater interest in the growth and infrastructure of our major cities across Canada, and find a way to finance that infrastructure that just doesn’t fall to new development and municipalities, given that municipalities are already stretched and the development industry pays its fair share already.”

“We’ve seen a promising sign from this federal government over the last couple of years realizing that investment in cities and communities ... will drive economic growth. It’s been one of the strategies to keep Canada ahead of other countries,” Robertson said.

The federal infrastructure minister was not available for an interview. A spokeswoman said the federation recommendations will be considered along with information received in consultations across the country.

“Our new plan will recognize the need for investments in infrastructure while ensuring affordability and respecting taxpayers’ ability to pay,” Genevieve Sicard said in an email.

Canada’s municipal leaders are calling for more federal government support to repair aging infrastructure. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson pointed to a number of local problems that were in need of additional funding. The Oak Street Bridge has been reinforced with steel jackets to help it better withstand earthquakes.

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